Ben Hill, Bega Cheese marketing head on consumer brand ownership and making Vegemite Aussie again

22 February 2019 1 min read

Dave Jackson speaks with marketing, innovation and corporate affairs director at Bega Cheese about all things from internalising marketing philosophy to Vegemite-meat pies.

Ben Hill sits down with MarCast host Dave Jackson to get into the nitty gritty of the iconic Australian food brand, Bega Cheese. Hill, who’s been with the brand since mid-2017 as marketing, innovation and corporate affairs director, speaks about internalising the brand’s identity within the culture of the workplace, why he no longer solely hires marketers with FMCG experience, bringing the Vegemite brand back to Australia, what’s coming up next for the brand and much, much more.

On marketing talent

Ben Hill: “The experience to date has been better than just having one set of people with the same way of looking at the world…. It’s been really important for us to look at ‘what’s the best-in-class?’ rather than ‘what’s the best CV?’.”

On research, insights and new markets

“There might be a lot of opportunities out there – and there certainly are – but they’re not always going to be easy to get at. Anyone can identify a large category or a future trend; the hard bit is, which ones do you choose to get after and then how do you get in?”

On company culture

“We have a very deep sense of community in our company, four of our board members are dairy farmers. I think we have a real sense of the right thing to do, and there’s a humility that comes with that… you’re also serving the community and the greater good – which is one of our core values.”

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